System violations

“Do you ever violate your bidding system?” a player at the club asked me. “Sometimes I’m tempted to ‘ use my judgment.’”

“I think that if you agree to play a system, you play it,” I replied. “For example, suppose you use a forcing 1NT response to a major- suit opening. You open one spade with J 9 6 5 2, Q 4, K Q 5, A Q 3 and hear a 1NT response. You have to bid two clubs, which is the correct systemic action. You can’t pass just because you sense that 1NT may be your best contract.”

My friend said he had been today’s South. His partnership used five- card majors, but he opened one spade, treating his chunky suit as a five- carder.

“When partner responded two hearts, I rebid 2NT, and he jumped to four spades,” he said. “Maybe partner was afraid I might pass if he bid only three. So we landed at a 4- 3 fit.”

West led the king of clubs, and declarer took dummy’s ace and led the jack of diamonds: king, ace. He cashed the queen of diamonds, ruffed his last diamond in dummy and took his three top trumps.

“West discarded,” South told me, “so I had a trump loser and three club losers. But I took the A- K of hearts and led a third heart, and East was stuck. No matter what he held or did, I would score my five of trumps for my 10th trick. Maybe I should disregard my bidding agreements more often.”

You need not admire South’s bidding, but he did obtain a good result. I suspect that most pairs would bid the North- South cards to 3NT, and though that contract could actually be made with best play, it would fail more often than not.